Discussions By Condition: I cannot get a diagnosis.

Just can't figure it out...

My oldest son is 3, he will be 4 in Dec... but just a little bit about him... he has cafe-au-lait spots, ADHD, autism, and speech and developmental delays. Though my husband and i Have been on top of therapy and doc appt, the diagnosis is still ADHD/ Autism. The two just don't sound right together. But it's what I'm told. Though a doctor recently made me aware of his cafe-au-lait spots and now I have been looking up all sorts of things to help with the mind over matter that I am experiencing right now. He looks perfect to me and maybe he is, maybe he just has a stream of weird things going on, but I'm not going to be blind by this either. He is on medication right now, not a stimulant, but medication that "slows him down" but also makes him think. I just want him to be normal. He is loved no matter what, but I want to help him if I can or find the help to make me understand the series of things I keep noticing.

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My oldest son is 3, he will be 4 in Dec... but just a little bit about him... he has cafe-au-lait spots, ADHD, autism, and speech and developmental delays. Though my husband and i Have been on top of therapy and doc appt, the diagnosis is still ADHD/ Autism. The two just don't sound right together. But it's what I'm told. Though a doctor recently made me aware of his cafe-au-lait spots and now I have been looking up all sorts of things to help with the mind over matter that I am experiencing right now. He looks perfect to me and maybe he is, maybe he just has a stream of weird things going on, but I'm not going to be blind by this either. He is on medication right now, not a stimulant, but medication that "slows him down" but also makes him think. I just want him to be normal. He is loved no matter what, but I want to help him if I can or find the help to make me understand the series of things I keep noticing.I have been taking Dexedrine now for close to 15 years. Started on Ritalin and moved to Dexedrine. For the most part 30mg worked really great for me. The past three years or so Dexedrine has not been that effective. I increased dosage to 40mg and now 45mg a day. I don't know if it is the medicine but all textbook ADHD symptoms are back more than ever. Brain fog, lost word, can't speak, thinking is shot, double reading, lost thoughts and concentration, and a 2 min attention span. I seem to be traveling in the opposite direction from where Dexedrine use to take me. I don't know if this is due to the long term effects of taking a strong stimulant. Read all studies on the ADHD/ADD medications, and check the longterm effects. In my life I had other things wrong with me. At the age of 12 it started out just being attention, concentration, mood and my grades and relationships which got better after taking stimulant medication. When I didn't take the medication I would notice all symptoms. Years later I started getting; popping joints; muscle tremors all over; eye lid muscle spasms; dry skin; flaky skin around and under eye lid; muscle soreness; weight gain; acne at 27 years old; memory problems worse than ever; heart palpitations; dandruff. I should be at my prime. I started researching symptoms and found out that my family has thyroid problems which they take medication for. ADD/ADHD is sometimes misdiagnosed with thyroid problems. I had blood work done two days ago and I am waiting for the news. I understand my parents didn't know what to do with me when I was a kid. What if this whole time my body just was not receiving the proper chemicals and that is why I have all these problems and ADD/ADHD symptoms. Do the research before children take this medication. In the begining they might seem to improve as such as I did. These medications might effect there brain on many levels that can be long lasting. I had to deal with so many things because of my malfunctioning brain. Life was hard for me. I have been in college now for 7 years and I am still working on my BA. All I can think is what if my parents did more research and I had the proper medicine for my health issue. My life could of been so better. I am not a doctor, only a 15 year user of Dexedrine. Research parents perspective, case studies, medication effects, substances that interact with the drug, health perspective, get blood work done to find out if heavy metals and allergies play a role, look at family health history, and get doctors opinions so you can have a better understanding of the negitive or positive effects of dexedrine and other ADD/HD medications. Your child might perform better if the proper diagnosis and treatment is given. Don't give up the answers are out there, and always love and encourage your child to do the best even when they are being difficult.Longterm user of Dexedrine